International. MAHLE presented a new bionic radial blower for air conditioning systems in vehicles, setting a benchmark in energy efficiency and noise reduction.
Inspired by the aerodynamic shape of the penguin's fins, this development is specially designed to optimize thermal performance in electric cars, where installation space is limited and efficiency demands are high.
This new component, whose structure was perfected with the support of artificial intelligence, promises to reduce noise emission by 60% compared to similar fans and improve the energy efficiency of the system by 15%. It is a solution applicable to all vehicle classes, from passenger cars to light and heavy commercial units.
"Evolution has endowed the penguin with fins that allow it to glide through the water with minimal drag and ultra-high efficiency. That shape served as a model for optimizing the impeller of our radial blower," explained Dr. Uli Christian Blessing, Vice President R+D Thermal and Fluid Systems at MAHLE.
This breakthrough is the result of an AI-based design process, which generated more than 30 million virtual models in record time to find the ideal configuration. "Internally, we refer to this as 'superhuman engineering,'" Blessing added.
The bionic fan architecture not only improves performance, but also allows for a more compact HVAC system arrangement by sitting in front of the evaporator, a key benefit in electric vehicles where every inch counts.
"The development of this new bionic radial blower underlines our system expertise and benefits from state-of-the-art artificial intelligence applications," said Jumana Al-Sibai, member of the MAHLE Executive Board and responsible for the Thermal and Fluid Systems business unit.
At its Auto Shanghai booth (Hall 1.2), MAHLE is also showcasing other innovations based on bionic design, such as its high-performance fan for electric vehicles and a battery cooling plate, part of its MAHLE 2030+ strategy focused on electrification, thermal management and efficiency in combustion engines.
